In 1629, the Dutch merchant ship Batavia was wrecked in the Houtman's Abrolhos, a desert chain of islands off the coast of Western Australia. Its commander, the upper-merchant Francisco Pelsaert, undertook a harrowing voyage in the ship's longboat to get help from the Dutch on Java. Meanwhile, his second-in-command, the under-merchant Jeronimus Corneliszoon, used his charisma, cruel personality and mutinous followers to set up a brutal, personal rule over the other survivors who were awaiting Pelsaert's return. A small group of soldiers, led by a man named Wiebbe Hayes, rebelled against Corneliszoon's tyranny, building a fort on a nearby island and harboring fugitives from the under-merchant's camp. Eventually, Corneliszoon sent his lieutenant, David Zevanck, to try and wipe them out. This extract describes the second of two battles between Zevanck and the Defenders. I originally wrote this novel as part of a school project (the IB Personal Project), and am now working on the second draft (hoping to get it published some day - with a bit of luck!). All music used in the background is by the film music composer Hans Zimmer (whose music I am addicted to). The name of the song is always given at the bottom of the picture. Sorry if the sudden increase in volume at the end surprises/deafens you. PS I swear to you, this story is 100% based on historical fact. All I have done is dramatized the events, so to speak, creating personalities and interactions for the characters. The <b>...</b>